Decorative ribbon ideas can be used as a cheap and delightful way to enhance your party or event in all sorts of different ways. Satin, chiffon, velvet or gingham ribbon comes in hundreds of different colours and is available in a multitude of varying widths. Beautiful multi-coloured or matching ribbons are perfect for decorating banqueting chairs, floral arrangements, table-centres, napkins, formal cakes, wedding favours and even entrance ways  Check out these ribbon ideas for your next event. Read more »

The location of your party venue is important, as is the amount of available parking and access. Make sure that your venue is well within range of main arterial routes, especially  if you have a number of guests coming from afar. Try to choose a venue with a good setting if your guests will be arriving in daylight. Be very cautious about picking a venue way up a narrow country lane if you are planning a Christmas or New Year’s Eve party, what can appear ideal in summer may become impassable in winter snow. Read more »

If you nervous about choosing wine for your party but fortunate enough to be holding your event at a reputable venue it may be as well to simply hand over the responsibility of choice to the sommelier or banqueting manager whose job it is to match the right wine with the food and the occasion. If however you want to have the fun and satisfaction of organising the wine yourself read our brief wine summary.

Classified by regions and type, wines are to be found under recognisable names such as Bordeaux, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Rhone, Loire, Alsace, Rioja, Barolo, Chablis, Chardonnay, Reisling, Muscadet, Sauterne, South African, New World, Australian, Rosé, Champagne, Sparkling Wine and Port Wine. Read more »

Table and seating plans are one of the major planning tasks, epecially for large events, parties or weddings. Putting the right guests at the right tables can at first appear complicated to sort out, especially if you can’t get your guests to confirm quickly whether or not they are attending you event. However  if you break the whole project down into a logical piece by piece exercise it is not nearly so daunting. Follow these simple rules for table and seating planning and you won’t go far wrong. Read more »

There are lots of wonderful decorative butterfly ideas that can transform the look of your party or wedding. Using a butterly theme is perfect for summer parties, especially when combining butterflies with floral decoration. Check out these butterfly ideas shown below for your next event. Some of the photos show very realistic looking butterflies - please don’t worry these are not in fact real butterflies they are simply convincing imitations made from feathers and then hand painted. Clever aren’t they! Read more »

Catering for an event at any venue can be a minefield simply because if you, your caterers or your venue get it wrong, your whole event or party is at risk of being ruined. Before handing over the complete catering package a venue do be absolutely sure to check whether your venue has good quality in-house catering with a competent chef and proper suppliers. Check also whether they have plenty of menu choices and are flexible about any suggestions you may want to offer. Read more »

It’s a well-known fact that a beautiful table setting complements almost any style of food.  Never forget that first impressions are nearly always determined by decoration and layout of the table and the that they set tone of a meal . Here are some tried and tested basic rules to help you set the perfect table.

Try to match the style of your table to the type of food you are serving, e.g. a country lunch in the open will look much better served on a pretty gingham tablecloth with plain crockery than on a starched white linen cloth laid with cut glass, bone china and polished silver. Read more »